


Push and Pull

by jamieaiken919



Category: Duran Duran
Genre: F/M, Mary Sue, self-insert alert
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2012-12-15
Updated: 2016-12-27
Packaged: 2017-11-21 04:45:51
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 11
Words: 20,850
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/593591
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/jamieaiken919/pseuds/jamieaiken919
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>High school AU, set before the rise of Duran Duran. Nicholas Bates falls in love, through unconventional means.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Okay. So at the urging of some of my friends, I'm actually posting this ridiculous fic, lol. It started from a writing prompt I found on tumblr- "Imagine your OTP in a high school AU. Person A trips and falls in the hall, spilling their books and papers. They look up and see Person B reaching out their hand."  
> So yeah, this originally was just something silly to keep me entertained during the four day power outage I had following Hurricane Sandy, but then grew into... this whole mess here. I don't know why I liked this plot bunny so much, but I felt like it fit something here...  
> I realize self insert, "Mary Sue" stuff is generally frowned upon, but... I really don't care, lol. So here we go! (I rated this explicit for later chapters, you guys'll see why, lol)
> 
> OH, and I realize I took HUGE liberties with the actual history of the band and their lives (like Nick actually having dropped out of school at sixteen), but since it's an AU setting I figured those liberties would be somewhat excused.

Nick walked out of his classroom, used to the stares by now, but still feeling every single eye on him. His newly bleached blonde and red tinted hair, combined with his usual gender blurring clothing and makeup, had been a source of contention for his schoolmates since the first day of his senior year. Even though most of the people in his year had known him since primary school, that didn't make him immune to the glares and taunts they threw. People weren't exactly open to change, and his appearance was no different.

As he buried his head in his locker, digging around for the books he'd need after lunch period, he heard a group of girls laughing behind him.

"Hey Bates, you steal those pants from your sister?" one of them taunted, the edge in her voice cutting particularly deep. He shut his locker and walked on, content to ignore the glares and laughs.

He didn't know why the words had bothered him so much lately. He'd kept mostly to himself since the year started, when he became a target for his clothes and makeup and hair. When he was out at concerts or clubs, he felt perfectly normal, but walking through those halls was the most foreign thing in his mind.

As he made his way down the hall towards the cafeteria, he felt his foot catch on something, and before he could register what was happening, his books had flown out of his hands, and he was lying on his stomach. The cold tile floor stung his hands and face, as he lay still and tried to process what had happened. When his hearing came back, he could hear laughter above him, and only then did he realize that someone had deliberately tripped him. He tried to get up, but a foot pressed his backside down into the floor.

"You belong down there, ya queer!" a loud male voice spoke above him. His face burned in embarrassment, but before he could speak, he felt the foot move swiftly from him, followed by a loud metallic bang.

"You leave him the fuck alone." A female voice this time, one with a distinctly American accent. "Or I swear, you'll end up down there."

Nick chanced a glance up, and saw a petite frame with a long curtain of black hair pushing the boy who'd tripped him against the row of lockers next to him. Her arm was across the boy's throat, and despite being over a foot taller than the girl, there was an unmistakable shock in his face. Nick sensed the crowd around them shuffling awkwardly, and he buried his face in his forearms, anticipating something to erupt.

Instead, he heard the boy's feet slowly retreating, followed by the dispersion of the crowd at the girl's harsh command. He heard footsteps approach again, and chancing another glance upwards, he saw the girl kneeling in front of him, her hand extended out and a gentle smile on her face.

"Hey, you alright?" she said, taking his hand and pulling him so that he was sitting upright. He brought a shaky hand up to smooth his hair, still nervous and shaken from his fall.

"Yeah... yeah, I think so." he said, letting out a sigh. "Who... are you?" He instantly regretted asking the question that way, and winced slightly waiting for her response. Much to his surprise, she started laughing, and he couldn't help but smile at the sound.

"I'm Julia. I just moved here from the US. Obviously I'm making some good first impressions around here..."

"You certainly impressed me..." Again, his face burned with embarrassment. Another surprise when she smiled at him again.

"I'm glad someone was!" she said, picking up Nick's books from beside her and getting up off the ground. She extended her hand to him again, which he gladly took as she helped him up. She straightened his blousy shirt for him as he brushed the dirt footprint off his backside, and they looked each other in the eyes for a moment before Nick gently took his books from her.

"Um... where are you headed now?" he asked, shuffling in place and looking at his feet.

"I actually am headed to the cafeteria." she said, leaning against lockers. "How about you, where are you going?"

"The very same." He smiled up at her, and her face seemed to light up at his answer. "Would you... like to join me?"

"I very gladly would... um... What was your name?"

"Nick."

"Well Nick, I will gladly join you."

They shared another smile and began walking the remaining length of the hall. They walked slowly, getting used to each other and neither one really knowing what to say. After a few moments, Nick decided to just ask something to break the silence.

"So... you said you moved here from the US?"

"Yep, all the way across the ocean." she said, grinning at him.

"Where in the US?"

"What state, you mean? New Jersey. Which sort of explains my whole fight back there."

"What do you mean?" he asked as they entered the cafeteria. He scanned around and found an empty table, and they quickly sat and pulled out their food.

"People from the New Jersey-New York City areas tend to have "argumentative" reputations." She made quotes around the word 'argumentative', as if to emphasize her point. "Meaning, I'm not afraid to get in a fight if I have to."

"Speaking of..." he started, unable to take his eyes off the smile on her face.”I never thanked you for getting that guy away from me."

"You don't have to." She waved her hand in dismissal, and he looked at her curiously, before she continued. "It's in my nature to help people. Like I said, I'm not afraid to get into a fight if I need to. Especially when some asshole is threatening someone smaller than him."

Nick couldn't help but be enthralled at how passionate she was. He'd never seen anyone get so worked up over something so small, especially when that thing was him. She smiled at him and asked what she thinking about, to which he shook his head.

"I've just never had anyone do something like that before..."

"Well, you should get used to it, handsome." she said, shooting him a sly grin that left him confused. His confusion must have shown on his face, because Julia let out a tiny giggle as he found his voice to speak again.

"Handsome?" he repeated, and she laughed again. He found himself quickly growing to love the sound.

"Yes, handsome. I love the whole Ziggy Stardust thing you've got going on."

"You like Bowie?"

"Is there anyone who doesn't like Bowie?"

"Apparently, seeing as my clothes were what got me shoved in the first place..."

"Yeah, well fuck them." He was taken aback by the blunt language, but found himself smiling as she spoke. "If they're too stupid to get it, then you shouldn't be talking to them. Let them be ignorant. You know what's up, that's all what matters."

She held out her bag of potato crisps to him, and he reached in for one with an appreciative nod. He took another look at her, and noticed how her brown eyes held an almost red tint to them, something he'd never seen before. Starting to feel awkward with no conversation between them, Nick cleared his throat and asked the only thing that came to mind.

"What other music do you like?"

"You realize that's a loaded question, right?"

Nick laughed at the statement, watching as she bent down to get something out of her bag on the floor. When she sat up, he could see she was holding cassette tapes in her hand.

"This isn't the full extent of my musical taste, but it pretty well represents me... I think."

He took the tapes out of her hands and began to scan through them, taking each one and turning it over to look at the track listings.

"The Bee Gees... Donna Summer... Roxy Music... you like to dance, looks like."

"Yeah, dance music is my thing..." she said, a slight blush coming over her face.”I was a dancer for years back in Jersey."

"Really? What kind of dance?"

"Pretty much everything... ballet mostly, though you wouldn't expect it by those tapes."

"It's different when you listen to a dance track, isn't it? The rhythm takes you over and you--"

"Become like a completely different person?"

Nick stared at Julia for a moment, not sure how she had known what he was going to say, but not really caring one way or another. As he opened his mouth to answer, the cafeteria bell rang, signaling the students to pack up and head to their next classes.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So this is a direct continuation of the last chapter. I originally wrote these first two chapters as one long bit, but I realized when I actually typed it out that it was WAY too long to be one chapter, so I split it up, lol. It's a little awkward since it was all one huge thing, but I think where I split it works... Once again, great liberties have been taken with the actually history of the band, lol.
> 
> Quick note- the bit in the middle with the notebook is based off something that actually happened with a friend of mine and I in high school, lol.
> 
> ANYWAY. Enjoy this while I write my history final!

Nick and Julia both stood at the sound of the bell, picking up their books and walking over to the garbage and throwing their trash away. They bumped into one another as they tried to stay out of the way of the crowd filtering by them, and Nick inadvertently put his hand on Julia’s lower back, trying to keep her next to him, but quickly pulled his hand away as he felt himself blushing. Julia turned to him with a smile, and he quickly averted his eyes from her gaze.

"So where are you headed next?" she asked, taking hold of his arm so as not to lose him in the crowd.

"I have algebra class... what about you?"

"I'm supposed to have algebra too... wanna ditch with me?"

"What?" He turned to her, wide-eyed but seeing nothing except a mischievous grin on her face. "Won't we get caught?"

"Not with these." She reached into her bag and pulled out two hall passes. He took one from her and saw that it had an expertly forged signature at the bottom. 

"Write your name at the top, then we're good to do whatever for at least one period."

Nick looked at her for a second, but decided not to question. He quickly scribbled his name down and followed Julia through the corridors, until they came to a large window with a wide, low-seated ledge. Julia threw her bag down and sat on the ledge, and motioned for Nick to do the same. He followed her lead, and say opposite her on the ledge, leaning back against the wall and finally letting himself relax a little.

"So," Julia began, folding her legs under her and leaning back against her side of the wall. "What kind of music do you listen to?"

"A lot of the same stuff you do, honestly... Roxy Music and Bowie. I listen to classical stuff too, but that's mostly my parents. A couple of my friends and I are actually starting a band with sort of a Roxy sound."

"Holy shit, really?" Julia leaned forward and rested her chin in her hands, obviously showing massive interest in his words, which greatly surprised him. "What's the name? Or do you guys have one yet?"

"Well... have you ever seen the movie Barbarella?"

"With Jane Fonda and Milo O'Shea?"

"Yeah, that one. We're thinking of calling ourselves Duran Duran, after Milo's character."

"That's awesome! Obscure pop culture references are the best!" She clapped her hands joyfully, and he couldn't help himself from smiling again. "So do you sing or play something?"

"Keyboards. Synthesizer, specifically."

"Oh, so you guys are gonna go with the more "new wave" sound that's starting to get popular?"

"That's what we're hoping. We have a guitar player sort of worked out, John's got the bass, Stephen's our singer... but I think his heart's not in it."

"Why's that?"

"Dunno, really... just something when he sings now is different from what he used to do. I'm afraid he'll leave and then we'll be left with just me and John."

"You can always get another vocalist if Stephen doesn't work out. I'm sure someone out there in Birmingham will be a fit for Duran Duran."

"I hope so... we just brought on a drummer, Roger, and he seems to be fitting really well with John and me."

"And John plays bass, you said?"

"Yeah, he actually started out playing guitar, but he moved to bass because it has less strings for him to screw up." Nick grinned as Julia laughed out loud at his joke, hoping that John wouldn't kill him if he found out about it. "We've got another guy, Andy, working out for electric guitar. He seems alright, kinda strange though."

"Is strange a bad thing?" she asked, fixing him with a grin and a wink.

"Not at all." He returned the smile, and then it dawned on him. He started rummaging through his bag, until he pulled out a portable cassette player with a tape inside. "I have some of our demos here. Do you wanna take a listen?"

"Oh my god, or course! I get to listen to your stuff before you're signed!"

"If we get signed, and that's a really big if..."

"Oh hush, I'm sure you guys sound awesome!" She took the headphones from him as he pressed play, and held them to one ear as she listened. "What's this song called?"

"It's called 'See Me, Repeat Me', it's the only one I've got that has Roger on drums..."

"It sounds great..." She listened intently until the end of the track, closing her eyes and letting her body move with the beat of the song. He watched her and realized that it was his music that she was moving to. Not Roxy, not Bowie, but him and John and Roger and Stephen. He smiled as the track ended and she opened her eyes.

"Nick... that sounded amazing." she said, looking at him through half-lidded eyes. "I can see what you mean about Stephen's heart not being in the singing, but other than that..."

"You really liked it?"

"I wouldn't lie to you, Nick." She smiled sincerely at him, and he blushed under her gaze. "Your synths sounded amazing. And John's bass is killer. Roger sounds great on drums with you guys too. Once you find the right guitar player and singer, you guys are gonna take over the world."

"I don't know about the world... but maybe London, at least." He grinned at her, and she shoved his shoulder playfully.

"Trust me, you guys are gonna be huge. I can already tell."

"We're doing a set at a club downtown on Friday night... do you want to come?" He looked at her, heart pounding and not knowing why. Waiting for her response felt like years, and he hoped with everything that she wouldn't say no.

"What's the club called?"

"The Rum Runner... it's in downtown Birmingham, only a few minutes from here."

"I'll be there!" She beamed a smile at him, and he felt his heart jump. "What time?"

"Around eight? We're not supposed to go on until nine, but we might go on early if we get the time..."

"You'll see me there at eight. Besides, that'll give me and you time to hang out before you go on."

"You can meet John and Roger and Stephen too. And Andy, if he gets there on time."

"True, but hanging with you is top priority for me, since you know your way around here and I don't." She pulled two boxes of apple juice from her bag and handed one to him, which he gladly took. His throat was dry and he was growing more nervous by the second. "Maybe we can sneak some drinks too. We look old enough."

"The drinking age here is eighteen..." he said, before realizing that she was probably younger than that. "You're seventeen, aren't you?"

"Yeah, but don't worry about it. It's better than being mistaken for fifteen, like what happened back home all the time..."

"Really, fifteen? You look older than that..."

"It's because I'm so short. Being five feet tall does that."

"Wait, you mean I'm actually taller than someone?" Nick grinned playfully as she stuck her tongue out at him, and he returned the motion as she laughed out loud.

"How tall are you?" she asked, as she moved closer to him on the seat.

"Five foot six..." he said, looking away from her. His height had been a source of ridicule for his classmates since he was young, though he'd learned to ignore it over the years. He jumped slightly as he felt her hand go to his shoulder, and looked up to see her smiling at him again.

"You're still taller than me by half a foot. That's good enough for me."

Nick opened his mouth to respond, but before he could, the final bell for the day rang. He hadn't realized that they'd sat through the last two periods of the day, and that people were starting to filter out of the school.

"Let's hang here until the crowd thins out." Julia said, leaning back against the glass window. "That way we won't lose each other. Us shorties have to stick together, after all."

Nick laughed and followed Julia's lead, leaning against the glass and feeling the cold sear through the thin fabric of his shirt. He jumped at the feeling, but soon relaxed as he felt Julia's shoulder lean into his own. He looked over and saw her yawn, followed by a shake of her head.

"Oh god, sorry..." she said, brushing the hair from her face. "I was up all night writing so I'm exhausted..."

"You write?"

"Uh-huh." She reached over to her bag and pulled out a worn composition book, never breaking contact with Nick's shoulder. "It's mostly fiction, but I have a few poems and stuff in there too."

Nick hesitated, but took the notebook from her and opened to a page with red ink scribbles over the paper. His eyes scanned the sentences, picking out words like 'grasp', 'thrust', and 'scream'. He quickly slammed the book shut, his face flushed red and feeling very glad that the hall was mostly empty.

"I think I opened to a wrong page..." he muttered, not able to look her in the face. Expecting her to be as embarrassed as he was, he was surprised when she doubled over in laughter, leaning her head into his shoulder and grasping his hand.

"I'm sorry, I should have told you there were sex scenes in there!" she squeaked out between laughs. She straightened up and looked at him, his face still burning from embarrassment. "You should see your face! You're so red!"

He brought his hands up and covered his face as he finally allowed himself to laugh. The whole day had been a whirlwind for him, and meeting this girl was the start of it all. He handed her back the notebook and chanced a glance at her, to see she was still laughing and wiping tears from her eyes. He untied the handkerchief from his belt loop and handed it to her, and she looked at it for a second before taking it and wiping her eyes.

"Thank you, Nick..." she said, the sincerity coming through in her voice. She went to hand it back to him, but he shook his head.

"Keep it. I've got others exactly like it." He smiled down at her, and saw her blush slightly under his gaze.

After the halls had been mostly cleared of faculty and students, the two decided that they should finally leave. As they went to their lockers, which were on opposite ends of the same hall, Nick couldn't help but watch the way Julia moved. He could tell she was a dancer just from the way she carried herself. When she shut her locker and turned towards him, he quickly put his head in his locker, hoping she didn't notice him staring.

"Why are you hiding in there?" she asked as she approached him. He jumped and turned to see her standing in front of him; he hadn't even heard her footsteps come near.

"I'm not hiding, I'm just... looking for... something..." His voice trailed off, not able to find a good excuse. He grabbed his coat and shut his locker, and the two made their way outside. The cool wind blew around them, and Julia folded her arms around herself to shield her body. Without thinking, Nick wrapped his arm around her shoulder, and they looked at each other for a moment before smiling and leaning in to one another.

"Which way are you headed?" Julia asked, turning so that her shoulder was fully pressed into Nick's chest. He tightened his grip as a strong gust of wind came up, watching as her hair blew back.

"I'm actually going this way." he said, pointing down the sidewalk to their left. "What about you, which way?"

"I'm heading this way..." She pointed to their right, unintentionally bringing him closer. They both blushed at the contact, before Nick decided to throw caution the middle finger, and pulled her into a tight hug, which she quickly returned.

"Thank you again for today." he said quietly, his mind running haywire.

"Any time, Nick." she replied, her hands gripping the back of his shirt. She pulled back slightly and looked him in the eyes. "I'll see you tomorrow?"

"Absolutely." He smiled down at her, and they stayed that way for a moment before finally going their separate ways. As Nick walked down the sidewalk towards his home, he suddenly felt very eager for Friday night.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is by far the most awkward, out there chapter I have written so far... but I was told to post it, so... here it is, lol. As far as the rest of the guys, I didn't really know how to characterize them as teenagers, so that was a hard point for me to get... I picture John and Roger being the assuring, protective ones, and Andy being the obnoxious loud one, lol. Stephen I don't really know much about anyway, so I just kind of made him the stereotypical "front man" character. Once again, liberties. XD
> 
> Anyway, ENJOY MY FRIENDS!

When Friday night came, Nick was sitting inside the Rum Runner and bouncing anxiously in his seat. He and Julia had spent every lunch period at school together, had ditched their math classes to hang out in the hallway, and had sat on the steps outside the school just talking after the days were done. Even though it had only been a few days since they'd met, Nick couldn't help but feel jittery around her, or when he thought of her. He was pulled out of those thoughts by a glass being placed down on the table in front of him. He looked up and saw his best friend and bassist for their band, John Taylor, looking down at him.

"You gonna be able to play the set tonight, Nick?" John asked, sitting down in the seat next to him. "You've been out of it all week."

"Have I really?" Nick took a sip of his drink, closing his eyes as the burn of alcohol slid down his throat.

"Yeah, is everything alright, man?"

"Yeah... more than you'd think."

"What do you mean?"

"Well... remember how I told you I got tripped at school the other day?"

"Yeah, and you said somebody ran the guy off."

"I never told you who the person was though..."

"Someone good?"

"Someone great... a girl. From America."

"Wait, back up," John put his glass down on the table and fixed a curious stare at Nick. "I'm hung up on the fact that you're telling me a girl shoved a rugby player into a metal locker."

"She's shorter than me and she shoved the guy!" Nick waved his arms emphatically, a smile forming as he talked about her.

"So that's why you've been so hung up this week." John picked up his glass and looked over the rim with a smirk. "You're in love."

"I'm not in love, you prat." Nick shoved his friend as he let out a laugh beside him. "I do like her though..."

"So why're you all bouncy tonight?"

"I... invited her to come watch us..."

John just grinned and threw back the rest of his drink, before walking over to start setting up the stage for the band's set. Nick looked up at the clock over the bar, and saw that it read 8:15. He glanced quickly around the room, and vaguely registered the door opening before he hung his head, looking into his glass and dejectedly swirling the liquid around.

"Nick!"

He looked up at the door, and saw Julia shrugging off her coat. She waved to him and threw the coat on the hat stand by the door, before running over to the table. He stood as she came over, and caught her as she threw herself into his arms for a hug. They laughed and held each other for a moment, and Nick closed his eyes and let himself enjoy the feel of her body against his. He could sense eyes watching them from every corner of the room, but he couldn't find himself caring.

"Look at you, with your leather pants!" she said as they reluctantly pulled apart. As she stood back from him, he was able to take in her entire appearance- normally straight hair was loosely curled, still hanging down her back in a long curtain, a short, form-fitting black dress with high heels that put her almost to eye level with him, and her face accentuated with makeup similar to his own. She smiled at him as he stared at her, a light blush coming to her face. "What is it?"

"Nothing! You just... look really great, that's all..." He blushed as the words came out, unable to think of anything else to say. He simply smiled at her, and was relieved when she returned the smile.

"Are you kidding? This is the plainest dress I have... but thank you, though." She ran her hand down his arm in gratitude, pausing slightly when she reached his wrist. "I will say that you look at least ten times better, however."

"Liar." Nick said, as he pulled out a chair at the table for her.

"Hey, I told you, the only thing I lie about is my age, and that's only to get drinks." She took his hand as he helped her up into the tall chair, and their fingers lingered together as he stood by her.

"Speaking of, can I get you a drink?"

"Surprise me?"

"I'll be back." He smiled and walked towards the bar, where John and the band's singer, Stephen Duffy, were seated with grins.

"What?" Nick said as he approached them. Stephen laughed while John clapped his friend on the shoulder.

"And you say you're not in love."

"I haven't even known her a week!"

"So?" Stephen spoke up. "Love at first sight, man. Happens to the best of us. And it's obvious that she's the same about you."

"What do you mean?"

"Wow, you really are the last one to catch on, aren't you?" John said, earning him a punch to the arm. "The way she ran directly to you when she came in? The way she held on to you and held your hand when you helped her into the chair?"

"You both are out of your minds. Now let me--" He stopped mid-sentence as John produced two martinis from the counter. "--get us drinks. How did you know that's what I was coming over for?"

"We're not dumb, Nick. Now go, your girlfriend is waiting for you."

"Oh, shut up."

Nick ignored the laughter of his friends as he took the drinks from John and made his way back over to the table. He saw Julia looking up at the stage, with an almost sad expression on her face. As he got closer, she turned and saw him, and a smile instantly came to her. He wondered if maybe John and Stephen were actually seeing something he wasn't, but decided not to worry about it for the time being. All he was worried about was getting the drinks to the table without making a fool of himself.

"Thank you, my friend!" Julia said cheerfully as she took her glass out of Nick's hands. He set his own glass down and pulled himself up into his chair, nearly losing his balance doing so. "Holy shit, are you okay?"

"Yeah, I think so..." he said, feeling his face get hot from embarrassment. Her hand rested gently on his wrist, and he looked to see genuine concern in her eyes.

"Seriously, are you okay? You almost took a pretty bad fall there."

"I'm fine now..." he said, his eyes looking everywhere but hers. He picked up his glass with the hand that she wasn't holding and raised it to her, watching as she mirrored the action.

"Here's to... me getting shoved in the hall, without which I never would have met you."

"And to the douchebag who shoved you, without whom you never would have gotten shoved."

"And to you, the girl who came to my rescue."

"To the synth player who became one of my dearest friends."

They smiled to one another and brought their glasses together in a toast. Nick could feel his bandmates watching them, but all he could focus on was the girl in front of him, who was looking at him over the rim of her glass and still holding his wrist. The girl he could now admit to himself he was falling for. The sudden realization that John was right- that he was falling for her probably much too fast- made him nervous and excited and terrified all at the same time. The fact that her hand was still resting on top of his, after his near fall was more than done with, made him the most optimistic that what Stephen said was also true.

"Sorry I was a little late getting here," Julia said as she placed her glass down next to their hands. "I got a little lost."

"I probably should have given you better directions, I'm sorry..." He looked down sheepishly, his eyes once again falling to their hands. "Honestly, I was kind of afraid you weren't coming..."

"What? Why?"

"I'm not really sure... we're not even a fully put together band yet, I guess I figured you'd find something better to do..."

"Nick, I wouldn't have missed this for anything. Remember what I said about you guys taking over the world?" He nodded, looking up and seeing her smiling gently at him. "I want to be able to say that I knew how amazing you were before that happens."

"You really think we can do it, don't you?"

"Of course I do." Her thumb was unconsciously stroking the side of his hand, and he turned his hand over to grasp hers. To his surprise, she held to his firmly, letting their fingers intertwine as she gave his hand a reassuring squeeze. "You guys are gonna rock this place tonight, with or without Stephen singing, and when everything and everyone fall into place, you guys are gonna hit something big. I know it."

"You'll be there with us, right?" he asked quietly, face still burning.

"If you want me to be..."

"Of course I do..."

Julia blushed and looked away, a small smile coming to her face and making Nick's heart jump. If his self-control was any less, he thought to himself, he would have kissed her right there. As he held tight to her hand and thought about the prospect of kissing her, he was abruptly pulled back to reality by John's hand on his shoulder. The bassist looked at the two, watching as they quickly pulled their hands apart and both turned red. He grinned slyly at Nick before turning to Julia and extending his hand.

"Hi, I'm John. Nick's friend."

"The illustrious bassist I've heard about." she said, returning the smile and shaking John's hand politely. "I'm Julia."

"I hear you beat a guy down the other day."

"I did not say she beat him down!" Nick said, his voice jumping nearly an octave. Julia laughed beside him, and he turned to her curiously.

"No, I like this version of the story! You should tell people I pulled a switchblade on him, that would make it even better!"

"I can see why Nick likes you so much." John said with a laugh, before turning to Nick. "Ready to go on?"

"You'll be watching, right?" Nick said to Julia, who nodded and smiled.

"Front row."

She quickly gave him a hug as he stood, and caught him off guard with a kiss on the cheek. He looked at her for a moment before John tugged on his arm, reluctantly letting her go as his friend pulled him towards the stage. Nick saw Stephen standing by the steps leading up the platform stage, conversing with their drummer, Roger, and their guitarist, Andy, who were both seated on the steps. Andy spotted them first, and jumped up to greet Nick with a smirk.

"Who's your lady friend, Nicky?" Andy asked, smacking Nick on the shoulder before Roger pulled him back.

"Lay off him, Andy, he's still in denial about being in love." John said, earning him another punch on the arm. "I can't play if you keep hitting me!"

"Well you deserve it!" Nick stomped up onto the stage, leaving his friends baffled.

"What the hell just happened?" Andy asked, watching Nick fidget with his keyboards on stage.

"He's feeling conflicted." John said, looking at Nick, then to Julia, who was moving to a table right at the edge of the stage. She waved and gave a thumbs up to Nick, who blushed and waved back. "He thinks he's falling for her too fast and that she doesn't feel the same. He's fucking blind, but he'll get it soon. I'd be surprised if she doesn't kiss him as soon as we come off stage."

"Lucky man, he is." Andy said, looking at Julia situate herself at the table.

"You think about moving in on her, I'll break your thumbs." Roger said, grabbing Andy by the wrist and pulling him up the stairs. John rolled his eyes and followed Stephen up onto the stage. As everyone took their positions, John paused in front of Nick's keyboards.

"She completely head over heels for you, man. Don't worry."

Before Nick could respond, John walked to the opposite side of the stage and picked up his bass. Nick shook his head and turned his keyboards on, as Stephen stepped up to the microphone in the center of the stage.

"Hello Rum Runner!"

Nick looked as Julia squealed and clapped the loudest of everyone in the crowd. He smiled and waved to the room, focusing his gaze on the girl who was still making the most noise. As John and Andy launched into their first track, he heard Julia let out a scream and smiled as the set took off.

They played through their short set, all the songs in their small repertoire, and to their surprise, the entire crowd reacted well. Nick saw a few people dancing by the bar, and most of the people in the room gathered at the tables around the stage to watch them. As the finished the last chords of the last song, and Stephen motioned the rest of the band up to the front of the stage for a group bow, Nick felt for the first time that what Julia had said about hitting something big was true. As he looked down and saw her standing and clapping at the edge of the stage, he hoped that what John had said was also true.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So things finally happen in this chapter, lol. I hope it posts okay, I'm posting it from my phone- my wifi decided to be a dick tonight and not work.  
> But anyway! I don't really have much to say about this chapter except things progress, so I hope you guys enjoy it!

No sooner had Nick stepped off the stage did he have Julia in his arms, the girl having run up and thrown herself into his embrace. He picked her up and spun her around playfully, somewhat shocked at how light she was. They both laughed as they came to a stop, and stood close as she looked up at him, her arms around his neck and his hands resting on her hips.

"That was amazing!" she said, bouncing slightly and smiling at him. "I told you this place would get its ass kicked by you guys!"

"I'm starting to believe the things people tell me..." He wrapped his arms around her and clasped his fingers together behind her back, feeling her press her body closer into his.

"People? What have other people been telling you?" she said with a smirk, tightening her grip around his neck playfully.

"Things I hope will be proven true soon..."

"That was GREAT!" Andy said, smacking Nick on the shoulder and causing the two to scream in surprise and pull each other tight. They looked at each other for a moment, before both bursting out in laughter. Andy looked on as they held each other and laughed for a moment, before finally pulling apart and adjusting their clothes. When the laughter finally subsided, Andy threw an arm over Nick's shoulders, shaking his friend out of his daze.

"Seriously man, you sounded great up there." he said, before extending his free hand to Julia. "Hi, I'm Andy Taylor. The guitarist."

"Are you related to John?" she asked, taking his hand. "I'm Julia, by the way."

"Nope, not related to John. And neither one of us is related to Roger."

"Wait, back up. Three Taylors and none of you are related? How the fuck did you manage that one, Nick?"

"It was partly Stephen, he was the one who found Roger."

"And John found me, so only one of us was Nick's responsibility."

"I can see why you all get along so well." Julia said with a smile. "You're crazy enough to get Nick to come out of his serious shell on stage."

"I'm not that serious... am I?"

"A little bit. But nothing that can't be brought out by a few drinks, I'm sure."

"Or a new friend..." Andy said, laughing as Nick shrugged off his arm and walked the short distance over to Julia.

"Care to join me and the rest of the band?" he said, putting his hand on his hip.

"Absolutely!" She folded her arm through his, linking them as they walked towards the largest table in the club. Andy smiled and shook his head as he watched them. 

"Lucky bastard." he muttered, following them over to the table.

"Look who finally decided to show up!" Stephen said as Nick and Julia approached them. John and Roger both smiled as they saw their linked arms, and Roger stood to offer Julia his seat.

"They were having a moment back there." Andy said, taking his own seat as Roger pulled another chair over for himself. Nick pulled out Roger's vacated seat as Stephen stood to greet her.

"Hi, I'm Stephen." he said, as she took his outstretched hand across the table.

"I'm Julia." she said, smiling politely. "You sounded great up there."

"Thank you! See John, someone appreciates me!"

"Oh christ, don't start in front of the lady..." John muttered.

"Anyway... I'm Roger." Julia turned to see the drummer standing in front of her, smiling kindly and extending his hand. "I'm sorry about them, they skipped their naps today."

"I'm Julia." She took his hand with a light laugh, before turning back to Nick, who was waiting patiently with his hands on the back of the empty chair. "Thank you, Nick, you didn't have to do that..."

"But I wanted to." he said, smiling as her hand subtly brushed against his as she sat. He took the seat next to her, and watched as Roger went to the bar to get drinks for the table. He turned back to Julia, who was looking intently at his hair. "Is something wrong?"

"No, just a bit of your hair is sticking up, that's all..."

"Really? Where?" His hand unconsciously went to the top of his head, missing the bit of hair that was messed up.

"Here, hang on..." Julia reached over and smoothed out his hair, and he had to fight the urge to close his eyes and relax against her touch. "There. All fixed."

"We're even for the chair now?" he asked, leaning his elbow against the table and resting his chin in his hand.

"We're even for the chair." She mirrored the action and gave him a smirk, before Roger placed drinks down between them. They both looked up to see him standing with a knowing smile, before turning and giving the rest of the group their drinks.

"So what are we making this round to?" John asked, glancing around the table. 

"I know," The group looked as Julia raised her glass high into the air. "To Duran Duran, the band that's going to take over the world!"

They all raised their glasses and toasted to the group, and when Nick and Julia's glasses met, they shared a smile as they both recalled their earlier toast to one another. They conversed a while about things to do with the band, Nick checking every few minutes to make sure Julia wasn't bored with the conversation. She assured him that she was interested, and gently held his fingers under the table as added assurance. He allowed their fingers to thread together once again as they leaned in slightly towards one another. They remained that way as the band continued, until the conversation turned to Nick's companion.

"So what brings you to this side of the Atlantic, Julia?" John asked, fighting back a laugh as the couple was caught off guard by the sudden change of topic.

"I actually got accepted to a university over here, so... yeah, here I am." she said sheepishly.

"You've already been accepted to university?" Andy asked, sounded impressed. "What for?"

"Political science." Nick felt her grip on his hand tense slightly, and, sensing that she was uncomfortable with the focus being on her, ran his thumb over her hand the way she had done to him earlier. Her grip relaxed once again, and he smiled as he listened to her continue. "Technically, journalism and political science."

"So you're going for all... smart stuff..." Andy said, taking a drink and looking away from the group.

"Hardly smart stuff, man." she said with a laugh. "Journalism is knowing how to write, and politics is knowing how to bullshit. You can figure those out, you've got it down."

The group shared a laugh, and Nick squeezed Julia's hand gently under the table. She turned to him, and he mouthed the words 'are you okay' to her. She smiled and nodded, squeezing his hand back. They kept their hands together as the night wore on, watching as John and Andy tried to outdrink each other, Roger tried to hold them apart, and Stephen abandoned the group to go pick up on women at the bar.

After a while, Stephen left with a tall blonde, presumably without even learning her name, which caused Nick to roll his eyes and whisper to Julia that he hoped the singer didn't contract anything. The laugh the comment elicited, as well as the way she leaned into his shoulder, made his heart leap in his chest. John and Andy were safely put into cabs on their ways home, and an exhausted Roger had excused himself after managing to get his two inebriated  bandmates to leave. Which left only Nick and Julia together in the now mostly vacant bar. Chancing a glance at the clock on the wall, Nick saw that it read well after one in the morning.

"Do you want to get going soon? It's getting sort of late..." he asked her. She looked over at the clock, then back at him with a grin.

"Now what kind of rock star attitude is that, going home at one in the morning?"

"I think you're trying to be a bad influence on me..."

"A bad influence? Or the best influence?"

"Either way..."

She stuck her tongue out at him as he stood, and he helped her up out of her seat as she went to get her coat. After checking quickly with the bartender to make sure their drinks were covered, he rushed over to her and grabbed her coat off the stand before she could reach for it. He held it out for her, and slipped it over her arms as she gave him her sincere thanks. They exited the bar and made their way down the sidewalk, not knowing or caring which way they were headed.

After walking a short way, they came to a park where Nick had spent many days of his childhood at. When he mentioned that fact, Julia grabbed his hand and pulled him in, not that he was fighting much against her grasp. Rather than run around in the dark and risk falling again, Nick decided to take Julia's hand and lead her around the foot path that led around the park's perimeter. She followed his lead, linking her arm with his once more, not only for the contact, but to help keep each other balanced. They weren't drunk by any means, but they weren't at full sobriety.

"My friends really liked you." Nick said after a moment, the park's playground barely visible from their spot on the path.

"I like them too." she said softly. "John and Andy are really funny together, and Roger is a sweetheart."

"What about Stephen?"

"Like you said, I hope he doesn't catch something." She stuck her tongue out as he looked down at her, and he smiled when he realized she was joking. "I like all of them. Not as much as I like you though..."

Nick opened his mouth to respond, but couldn't find the voice to speak. She had just openly admitted that she liked him. His heart was pounding, and his mind was racing. He had too much alcohol in him to even try and make sense of anything, so he decided to throw caution to the wind and see what the rest of the night brought. He was brought out of his thoughts by Julia tugging lightly on his sleeve, and he looked to see her eyes filled with concern.

"Everything okay?" she asked, her voice quiet and almost timid against the sounds of night around them.

"Of course, everything is fine... I couldn't be any better than I feel right now." He couldn't stop the words from coming, and he couldn't care about stopping them.

"I'm sure you could, but it might not be legal..." she said as they came back to the beginning of the path, the playful edge sneaking back into her voice. Nick broke into a fit of giggles, and quickly dropped to the nearest bench, pulling Julia down with him. They laughed together for a moment, before she leaned back and looked up at the sky. He followed suit, putting his arm around her as she leaned into his body.

"It's beautiful, isn't it?" he asked, looking down at her as she gazed up at the moon.

"It really is... it's so much different than back home."

"I wasn't just talking about the sky..." he whispered. His hand moved on its own accord, lifting her chin so that she was looking him in the eyes, and he could see the faint trace of pink in her face as her gaze met his. "Is this okay?"

"More than okay..." she said, her hands going to either side of his face. Before Nick could say another word, he felt himself being pulled forward, felt his eyes closing, and finally felt a gentle burst of warmth against his lips.

She was kissing him, his mind finally registered. He took in a sharp breath through his nose as their lips tentatively touched, neither one knowing quite what to do. Nick's hand slid to her hair, the arm around her shoulder pulling her body tight against his chest. She wrapped her arms around his neck, and he heard her let out a soft sigh through her nose. That sound was all he needed, and he pressed his lips firmly to hers as his nerves dissolved and were overcome by a rush of different feelings all at once. He let his fingers tangle in her hair, pulling slightly and feeling her fingers dig into the back of his neck. His heart was pounding in his chest as he felt her weight shift closer, and her head tilted to the side to give him better access to her lips.

Nick felt sparks from every point Julia's body touched his. Her lips pressed to his, the feeling still foreign to him but so familiar at the same time. Their chests pushed together, his arm around her shoulder keeping her close. Her hands moving up to his hair, her nails scratching gently against his scalp and driving him mad. His own hand, tangled in her hair, holding her as if she would disappear if he let her go. He parted his lips, letting his tongue trace over her lips and feeling a surge of exhilaration when she readily repeated the action. He felt her tongue slip beyond his lips and his senses went haywire, and he let his hand fall from her hair to her hip, shifting her body so that she was nearly in his lap. Their lips and tongues moved against each other, small sighs escaping them both as they fought for power over the other. One of her hands fell to his leg, just above his knee, and his whole body jerked at the contact.

Nick pulled away quickly and drew in a shuddering gasp, his face still close to Julia's and feeling her hot breath hit his face. Their hands hadn't moved, still wrapped around each other and tangled in the other's hair. Nick opened his eyes and saw Julia looking up at him, her face flushed and her breathing shallow.

"Oh my god..." she whispered, her voice almost nervous. "That was... really amazing..." 

"Yeah... yeah it was..." Nick smiled at her, and she leaned in and kissed him once more, pressing her body against his as he leaned back against the bench. He wrapped his arm around her waist as she pulled back, letting out a sigh when she stayed close and didn't pull back from his grip. "I could get used to that..."

"I could too..."

They sat in silence for a moment, Nick reveling in the feeling still pulsing through his entire body. He tightened his grip on her waist, pulling her close as she rested her head on his shoulder. He could still feel her lips on his, and could feel where her nails had scratched against her scalp.

"So what do we do now?" Nick looked down to see Julia looking back up at him, the nerves in her voice replaced by something he couldn't identify.

"My house isn't far from here." He brought his hand back up to her hair and brought her face close to his.

"Won't we wake your parents up?" 

"They're away on holiday. Won't be back until next weekend at the earliest."

Nick stood, taking Julia's hand and pulling her up against his body. He kissed her for a moment, feeling her grab at the front of his shirt as his own hands running down her back, pulling her lower body into his. A small sound escaped her mouth, and Nick pulled away from the kiss, letting his fingers lace with hers as he led her out of the park and down the sidewalk towards his home.


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> THINGS GET STEAMY IN THIS CHAPTER. There's no actual sex yet (sorry guys, I know that's probably the only reason you're reading this from me, lol), but I think what happens is pretty good... I hope, anyway. :3  
> Feedback is always much appreciated! ENJOY!!

Nick and Julia stumbled into his house, Julia's hand held firmly in Nick's and both of them giggling like mad. They had the entire house to themselves, and no sooner had Nick shut the door and turned the lock, Julia's body was pressed against his back, her hands snaking around his waist. He could feel her hot breath on the back of his neck, and he felt a shiver going through him as she spoke.

"So you've got me back at your place..." she whispered, her voice low and her lips brushing against his skin. "What did you plan on doing after this point?"

"I didn't really think you'd come back with me..." he muttered, leaning his head back as she kissed his neck. "So I didn't really have anything planned..."

"I'm sure we can find something to do..."

Nick turned in her arms, pulling her tight against him and crushing his lips against hers. Her arms still wrapped around his waist, he led her backwards towards his living room, never breaking contact with her lips. They maneuvered around the chair and table near the entrance, and Nick pulled Julia down onto the couch with him, her weight resting on his body and driving his senses out of control. His hands moved down her body, resting lightly on her bottom. The tiny moan that came from her throat only pressed him further, and he felt her push her hips into his. He felt himself becoming aroused and couldn't decide what he should do. He broke away from her kiss and tilted his head back into the armrest, and felt her mouth move down to his neck. He let out a moan as he felt her bite gently at his throat, and one of his hands moved back up to her hair as she smiled against his skin. The combination of her laying on top of his body and the buzz of alcohol still in his system completely overwhelmed him, and he pulled her head up roughly by the hair, kissing her hard once again. Their mouths clashed against one another, both trying to get as close to the other as possible. The heat pumping through his body was too much to handle, and Nick gently tugged Julia's hair, breaking the kiss and taking in a deep, shuddering breath. He felt her hands thread through his hair and he opened his eyes, seeing her looking down at him through half-lidded eyes, with a faraway smile on her face.

"Fuck..." he whispered, the word coming out with a rush of breath. "That was... intense..."

"Yeah... it really was..." she tilted her head forward, resting her forehead against his. He smiled as he felt her shallow breaths hit his face, the warmth sending a shiver up his spine. He realized after a moment that one of his hands was still on her bottom, and he quickly moved it up to her shoulder. She giggled softly at the nervous movement, and he looked at her confused as she smiled at him.

"I'm already on top of you, your hands are fine wherever they go." She wiggled her hips playfully and he let out a sharp breath, knowing that she could feel his arousal and not sure what to do about it. She gently brushed the hair off his forehead with her fingers, the action so light against his skin that he unconsciously tilted his head forward to feel the contact.

"Sorry I got out of hand with that..." Nick muttered, the heat rising in his face. Before he could say anything else, Julia pressed her lips softly to his. Every muscle in his body tensed, and after a moment of exchanging slow, gentle kisses, she pulled away and smiled down at him.

"It's not getting out of hand if both people are willing to go along with it." She let one of her hands run down his chest, and he shivered once again at the touch. "Have you ever done this before?"

"No..." he said quietly, shaking his head and avoiding her gaze. "I'm actually nervous, to tell the truth..."

"I make you nervous?" she said, one corner of her mouth turning upward into a smirk.

"Not you, just... this..." He let his hands run down the length of her back, feeling her arch slightly against the touch and press her chest into his. "I've never really done... this... before. I don't really know what I'm doing..."

"You did a damn good job as far as I'm concerned." He reached up and brushed a piece of hair away from her eyes, and he felt his face getting hot again as she smiled and let out a sigh. "Let's go as fast or slow as you want to. I'm not in a rush, babe."

"You're okay with not... having..." His voice trailed off, the final word stuck in his throat.

"Of course I am. I don't want to pressure you if you're not comfortable with something." She ran her fingers through his hair once again, and he tilted his head up at the contact. "Especially since we still haven't known each other for that long."

"I don't think it should be a problem with a few more times of what we just did..." he said, playfully bumping his nose up against hers. "But thank you... I've never done it before so I don't want to disappoint you or anything..."

"Nick, you never could." She leaned down and bumped his nose back. "I only have one time's worth of experience, so it's not like I'm a master either..."

"You are wonderful." Nick said without thinking. He swiftly sat up, keeping her in the position of straddling his lap, but pulling her close and into a gentle kiss. She wrapped her arms around his neck and he felt her chest press into his, and he tightened his grip on her back as he felt a rush of warm air from her nose. The sigh sent a jolt through him, and he had to pull back from the kiss, hearing her gasp as her head fell back. His hand moved to the back of her head as she looked back at him. "Are you okay?"

"I have never been better in my life." She looked him in the eyes and smiled. "You look like you could use a drink though."

"My throat is a little dry... though you really can't blame me."

"Go get something to drink before you choke." She gracefully moved off his lap, a rush of cold air taking the place of the warmth of her body, and making him long for that warmth and pressure again. "I'm not going anywhere."

Nick reluctantly got up off the couch and made his way to the kitchen, not before pressing a soft kiss to the top of Julia's head. As soon as he was safely in the kitchen and out of her line of vision, he stuck a hand into one of the pockets of his leather pants and attempted to adjust himself the best he could. He was embarrassed that he'd allowed himself to get so out of control with her so soon, but as he chanced a glance back around the corner and saw her looking at the photos on the wall, he found himself not caring.

As Nick poured himself a glass of water, he could acutely sense a presence behind him, and he grinned as he felt Julia's hands come to rest on his hips. He quickly drained the water and turned in her grasp, looking down at her and brushing a section of hair away from her face. He saw her face flush pink, and knew that, despite her confident demeanor, he wasn't the only one who was nervous.

"You should wear your hair up, so it doesn't fall in your face..."

"I don't look good with my hair up..." She looked away from him, her face still flushed and her smile fading slightly. "I barely look good anyway, I'd rather try and not look worse."

"Listen to me." Nick lifted her chin, and he saw the sincerity there in her eyes at the statement. "You are beautiful. Absolutely beautiful. Don't ever, ever say otherwise."

He took her head in his hands, his fingertips resting at the nape of her neck, and pulled her in for a kiss. He felt her hands grasp the front of the shirt, almost desperately, and he wrapped his arms around her waist, pulling her tight against him and closing whatever remaining space was between them. He kissed the top of her head and just stood listening to their breathing, completely in sync with one another.

"Thank you, Nick..." she muttered, her voice muffled by the fabric of his shirt.

"I only tell the truth." he said softly, leaning back against the sink counter and letting her weight come to rest on his body. "You are beautiful. You are so beautiful, inside and out."

"You really are a sap, aren't you?" Julia looked up at him, the smile back on her face and the playful edge back in her voice.

"I am." he said, a tiny laugh escaping her throat as she leaned up and kissed him once again. "So... do you want me to show you around?”

"The house?" she asked, before pausing and looking at the ground with a confused look on her face. She looked back up at him after a moment, grinning and blushing slightly. "That was a really stupid question, wasn't it?"

"Not really..." He smiled as she laughed loudly at herself, the sound and accompanying smile making his heart leap. "I could show you around the neighborhood too, if you want..."

"House tonight." She touched her finger to the tip of his nose, the action making him laugh lightly. "It's two in the morning, I don't want us to come across any sketchy fucks on the street."

"House it is, then." Nick allowed his fingers to entwine with Julia's, and he brought her around the base floor of the house, explaining different family photos and old pieces on display. He questioned her a couple times to makes sure she wasn't bored, but the kisses he received assured him that the attention was genuine.  
After they has walked around the entire main floor, Nick hesitated at the narrow staircase leading to the second floor, where his and his parents bedrooms were. He looked up the stairs, then back at the girl who was smiling gently to him and leaning against his shoulder.

"Bedrooms up there?" she asked, pressing a kiss to the side of his head.

"How'd you guess?"

"From the way you paused and are standing here." She stuck her tongue out at him, and he laughed and pulled her into a tight hug.

"Would it be too forward to invite you upstairs?" he asked, giving her a kiss on the forehead and tightening his grip on her waist.

"I wouldn't say no even if it was."

They shared another kiss before Nick took the lead up the staircase, holding Julia's hand tight in his own as she trailed slightly behind him. He let out a yelp as he felt her pinch his backside, and he looked back to see her sticking her tongue out at him again.

"What the hell am I going to do with you?" he asked, more to himself, as they reached the top of the staircase. She surprised him by pulling him to the opposite wall, leaning against it and pulling him so that his weight was pressed fully against her body.

"Whatever you want..." she said, her voice low and taking a seductive edge. He moaned as she pulled him in to another kiss, letting his hands grasp her hips and pushing his own against hers. He could feel his arousal coming back strong, and he knew she could feel it from the way her hands moved to his backside and pulled his hips close. He let out a gasp as she pulled away from him, and he let his head fall to her shoulder as he struggled to catch his breath.

"Sorry, I couldn't resist..." he heard her breathe out above him. He looked up to see her with her eyes closed, her breathing ragged and struggling as much as he was. "I was the one who got out of control that time..."

"It's not out of control if both are willing..." he said, echoing the statement she'd made earlier and making her chest heave against his in breathy laughter. He pulled back just enough to look her in the eyes, and took her hand in his own once again. "C'mon, bedroom's this way."

Nick led Julia down the short hall towards his bedroom, and paused when they reached the closed door. He took in a deep breath, before bringing up all the nerves he had and opening the door.

The room was dark, the walls painted a deep blue with black curtains framing the windows, and a black comforter on the large bed centered against the far wall. Julia slowly entered the room, taking off her shoes in the doorway and setting them next to the small desk against the wall. Nick watched as she slowly looked around, a smile coming to his face as she stopped in front of a shelf on the wall by his bathroom.

"Are all these cameras yours?" she asked, pointing at the shelf, which held at least eight different types of cameras and lenses. She turned and smiled to him as he entered the room fully and shut the bedroom door behind him.

"Yeah... I'm kind of an amateur photographer." he said, coming up next to her and retrieving one of the smaller cameras. "I'm lucky my parents can get me the equipment... speaking of, I need to get more film..."

"That's so cool..." she said, running her hand along the edge of the shelf. "What kind of photography do you do?"

"Mostly abstract stuff, which is why all the different lenses. But I'm not adverse to photographing people..." He lifted the camera and quickly took a picture of her, the flash breaking her out of her daze. She turned to him with a curious smile, and he took another photo before returning the grin. "Not so long as I have a good model, anyway."

"Please, I could never be a model." She playfully pushed his shoulder and laughed as he took another photo. "I'm too short and my butt's too big."

"You could always be a lingerie model." Nick said honestly, as he took more pictures as Julia laughed and moved around his room. "You've got the figure for that."

"Only if you were the photographer." Julia gently nudged Nick's hands down to his sides, and wrapped her arms around his waist as she leaned in and kissed him softly.

"I could arrange that." He bumped his nose against hers, feeling her body shake with the giggle she let out. "But first, I think I'd better shower."

"You played a hard set tonight. I'll be here when you get done."

"Really? You don't have to get home?"

"I told my mom not to expect me back tonight. I'm good to stay."

"Make yourself comfortable then. I shouldn't be long."

Nick smiled as Julia pulled him into another kiss, her hands moving down his back and pulling his hips close against hers again. He breathed harshly out his nose as he felt the remainder of his arousal from the hallway encounter come back to life, and he felt her smile against his lips before pulling back and fixing him with a smirk.

"Go shower." she said, giving his bottom a squeeze before turning and going to examine the bookshelf on the opposite side of the room. Nick sighed and ran a hand through his hair, and turned to disappear into the bathroom.


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, so things DO get a little heated in this chapter (I almost typed episode, lmao), but not in the way you think... you'll have to read it to find out how though. MOOHAHAHA. XD
> 
> This, I think, is the shortest chapter I have so far... so I hope you guys like it. Consider this my apology for not having anything up for the Fic Fest yet! D:

Nick stood listening to the water running in his shower stall, staring at himself in the mirror and trying desperately to ignore the arousal that had returned after Julia had kissed him. He slowly stripped down as the steam from the shower started to fog the mirror, and pulled a towel from the linen closet as he stared down at his body. He was embarrassed that he'd allowed himself to get so out of control, and that Julia had felt how turned on he'd actually gotten, but the way she'd reacted assured him that he wasn't alone with those feelings. He ran his hands through his hair, looking down at himself again and feeling his face heat up at seeing his arousal on full display.

"Fuck..." he mumbled, stepping into his shower and instantly relaxing under the stream of lukewarm water. He felt the water soak through his hair, the smell of product rinsing out assaulting his nose and adding to the arousal he already felt, the scent reminiscent of Julia's hair. He could still feel it every place her body has touched his- the softness of her lips against his, the way her hips had pressed against him, her hands running down his back to grasp his backside and pull his body closer to hers. He reached a hand down close to his groin, but quickly pulled it back again.

He opened a bottle of shower gel and poured some into his hands, the strong scent of vanilla adding to the smells around him and driving him up the wall. John had always teased him about having vanilla shower products, but the scent had always relaxed him enough so that he could sleep. He slowly ran his hands over his chest, letting the gel lather and clean him the best he could with his bare hands. His hands further moved down his body, and he had to stop himself before they moved too far. He opened his eyes, glancing around and remembering that he was in a locked bathroom, and there was no way anyone could come in. He also remembered that the girl who was the cause of his 'problem' was in the room directly outside, and would be able to hear him if he got too loud doing what he was thinking of doing.

 _'Even if she did hear...'_ he thought to himself, _'She'd probably want to join.'_

That thought made him smile through the renewed lust that surged through his body. Julia had been so physically open with him since they'd met that it almost never felt awkward around her. The way she'd jumped into his arms after they played their set, the way she kept a hold on his hand under the table all night, the way they'd linked arms and leaned on each other as they walked around the park... the thoughts jumbled through his mind as he thought back over the events of the evening.

Then his mind flashed to his living room. The image of them laying together on his couch, Julia's legs on either side of his hips and her hands tangled in his hair, set his heart pounding in his throat and in his groin. He felt it still where she had bitten his collarbone, where she had kissed a path up his throat to his mouth. He briefly opened his eyes, making sure the latch on the door was shut, before he decided to throw caution the middle finger. He closed a hand around his hardness, and that gentle grip was enough to make his whole body jolt. He leaned his head back against the wall, letting his eyes close again as he slowly started stroking himself. In his head, he was imagining Julia's hand in place of his own, standing in front of him with that knowing smirk on her face. He imagined her leaning in and kissing him, her own nude, wet body pressed against his, and he let out a soft moan as his pace quickened involuntarily. He knew he was already close; he'd been close for hours. He wouldn't last long, not that he wanted to with his companion in the next room waiting for him.

His grip tightened as he thought more about her. The way her lips had tasted under his tongue, the faint remnants of alcohol mixed with her sugary lip gloss. The way her hands had moved over his body, especially the way her fingers had gripped his hair as they kissed. He wanted nothing more than to take those fingers in his mouth, playing with them with lips and tongue and driving her insane the way she had done to him, just from kissing him. The weight of her body pressed against his, laying on top of him and pushing her hips into his.

That last thought brought him back to the present, and he thought again about having her in his shower with him. The image of her nude, with water streaming down her body, advancing on him and pinning him against the cool tile wall with heated kisses, was enough to make him increase the pressure and speed of his strokes. He imagined those lips slowly working their way down his throat and chest, letting out a frustrated groan as he almost felt her mouth moving against his skin. His hand pumped fast, thinking about her mouth closing around his hardness, staring up at him with those red-brown eyes and bringing him to the edge, and that image was all he needed. He threw his head back and muttered a low curse along with her name as he came, the hot, sticky liquid quickly washing away under the stream of water.

Nick slumped against the shower wall, thoroughly exhausted and wanting to just collapse on the floor and let the now-cooling water carry him into sleep. He quickly snapped out of his daze when he remembered Julia was still out in his room, and hastily washed his hair and face before grabbing a wash cloth and scrubbing his body once more. He wanted to make sure there was no evidence left of his activities, so he washed his hands and groin especially well before rinsing off and finally turning off the water. As he stepped out of the stall and dried himself, he looked down at his body again, feeling glad that his arousal had finally faded. He hopefully wouldn't have to worry about it returning, unless Julia decided to rob him of his virtue when he joined her in the bedroom.

Once Nick was sure his hair was sufficiently dry enough, he wrapped a dry towel around his waist and opened the bathroom door, the cold air from his bedroom coming in a burst and making him shiver. He glanced around his room momentarily, half expecting to have been ambushed as soon as he came out of the shower, but as his eyes came to rest on his bed, he couldn't help but smile. Julia was curled up against his pillows, her eyes closed and a book laid open across her stomach. He looked at her for a moment, her steady breathing and peaceful expression calming him more than the shower could. He quickly pulled on a pair of pajama pants and an old tshirt, throwing the towel over the back of the chair at his desk as he padded softly over to his bed. He carefully picked the book up, glancing at the pages and realizing that it was an album of his abstract photographs. He felt his heart flutter in his chest as he realized she wasn't just interested in him, she was interested in what he did as well. He placed the book on his desk before going to his dresser and picking out a pair of sweatpants and shirt he hoped would fit the girl. He went back and placed them on the edge of the bed before gently sitting next to Julia and nudging her shoulder lightly.

"Julia..." he whispered, trying to wake her. "Julia, wake up..."

She stirred slightly, bringing a hand up to rub her nose before opening her eyes, looking up at Nick with a sleepy gaze. She smiled to him, and he felt himself returning the smile as she leaned up on her arms.

"Hey... I didn't mean to fall asleep, I'm sorry..." Her voice was soft, almost embarrassed, as she leaned up further and pulled him into a slow kiss. "Have you been out of the shower long?"

"Only a few minutes." He kissed her softly on the nose, thankful she didn't seem suspicious of what he'd actually done in the bathroom. "I got you a change of clothes to sleep in. I figured you wouldn't want to sleep in your dress."

"Nick, thank you... you didn't have to do that."

"I wanted to, though. There's a whole closet full of extra wash cloths and toothbrushes in the bathroom, if you want to wash up before you sleep..."

"I won't be long. Promise." she said, kissing his nose in return before grabbing the clothes off the bed and disappearing into the bathroom.

Nick sighed and flopped forward into his pillow, breathing in through his nose and smelling Julia's perfume and hair lingering. He felt crazy, asking her to spend the night with him when they'd only known each other a week. But the more he thought about her, and how he felt with her, he realized he really didn't want to let this chance go. He got up and walked back over to the bookshelf, where a small cassette player was sitting atop a stack of notebooks. He rewound the tape to the beginning and pressed play, Debussy's 'Clair de Lune' filling the room and instantly calming him further. He pulled back the covers on his bed and sat at the edge, waiting for Julia to come out of the bathroom.

After a moment, the door opened and Julia came back into the room, her face washed clean of makeup and wearing nothing but the old shirt Nick had picked out. It was long on her, long enough to cover her bottom, and have the long sleeves fall down past her hands. He felt his jaw drop slightly when he saw her, wondering how she could look equally as beautiful like this as she had done up earlier in the night.

"The shirt was so big that I didn't need the pants." she said, playfully swinging the long sleeves of the shirt around. She cocked her head slightly as she finally registered the extra sound in the room. "Music?"

"It helps to relax me..." Nick said honestly, as he watched Julia climb into the bed and pull the covers up over herself. He quickly joined her, and as they settled in, he felt his face heat up as she nestled in next to his body, draping her arm over his waist.

"I know the feeling. I have to have some kind of sound when I sleep... this sounds familiar... what music is this?"

"It's a classical piece, by Claude Debussy. 'Clair de Lune'."

"I'm not too good with classical music... it all sounds the same to me after a while." she replied, smiling as he moved his way down the pillow to meet her eye level.

"Neither am I." he said, returning the smile. His eyes closed briefly as her fingers threaded through his still damp hair, and they opened just as quickly as he felt her slightly shaking hands slowly move down his shoulders and chest. She leaned in and kissed him slowly, both finally feeling the effects of the long day taking their toll on them.

"I had an amazing night, Nick..." Julia whispered, her breath ghosting over his face and sending a chill through him.

"Does that mean we can do this more often?" he asked, his voice equally low. He could feel his eyelids getting heavy, and he noticed that Julia's eyes had already closed again.

"Every night, I hope..." she said, before sleep finally took her once again. Nick kissed her gently on the forehead, and then the lips, and wrapped his arm around her waist, holding her close against his body. He listened to the piano music filling the room, and felt her steady breathing against his chest, and finally allowed himself to surrender to sleep.


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well I wasn't going to post this chapter so soon, but seeing as its Jen's birthday today, I figured I'd post it just for her! <3  
> Not much happens here except some fluffy filler, but I hope you guys like it anyway!

Nick was pulled out of his deep sleep by a movement next to him. He felt the bed jostling around, and as he opened his eyes and tried to see through the dark of the room, he was startled to full attention by a hand smacking him across the face. As he laid there with the hand on his face, he heard what sounded like whimpering coming near him. He got nervous for a moment, thinking that someone had broken through the locked doors, but as he sat up and his eyes focused, he quickly remembered he had Julia sleeping next to him, and saw she was raising a fit in her sleep. He quickly took her hands, shaking her gently and whispering her name until she woke with a start, bolting upright and straight into his arms.

"Julia, it's alright... I've got you, it's okay..." he said softly, holding her tight and gently rubbing slow circles against her shoulders. "You're alright now..."

"...Nick?" She pulled back slightly, looking at him and coming to the realization that she was awake and with someone else. "Where are we?"

"We're in my house, in my bed..." He let one of his hands tangle in her hair as she closed her eyes and let out a shaky breath. He pressed his lips to her forehead and pulled her tight against his chest. "You had a nightmare..."

"Oh my god... fucking hell..." she said under her breath, trying to get her breathing back to normal.

"What happened?" He buried his face in her hair as she rested her head on his shoulder. He breathed in the scents of her shampoo, hairspray, and perfume, and it instantly set his heart racing, recalling the earlier events in his shower. He quickly put that out of his mind, refocusing on the girl shaking in his arms.

"I was... on top of a building..." she said, trying to recall the exact memories of her dream. "I was being chased by someone. They had a knife... and when I got to the edge of the roof, they went to attack me, and I fell... but you caught me before I got to the ground... that was when you woke me up..."

"My god..." Nick pulled back and lifted Julia's chin, looking her in the eyes. "Have you had that dream before?"

"A couple times... I've never had anyone catch me in it before though..."

"It's a good thing I was here then..." he said, his mouth quirking up into a half smile. Julia let out a tiny laugh, and Nick felt his heart jump at the sound.

"I'm just sorry I woke you up... It's too early for you to be awake after the show you played. You need sleep."

"It's fine..." he said sincerely, pulling her close again. "Your hand hit me in the face, but I'm glad I was awake when you woke up from that dream..."

"I hit you in my sleep?" She pulled out of his grasp and fell face-first down onto the pillow, her voice muffled as she spoke. "Now I feel really terrible..."

"Julia..." Nick nudged her shoulder, and she rolled over onto her back to look up at him. His heart raced seeing her laying there, her hair strewn across his pillow, wearing one of his shirts,  and looking up at him through sleepy eyes. He leaned down and kissed her softly, his hand going to the side of her face and feeling her reciprocate the motion. "Don't feel bad. I'm okay. And you are too."

"Nick..." 

"Do you want to try and sleep some more? It's only about four thirty..."

"Yeah, I think so..."

"Here, let me get you some water." Nick jumped up out of bed and wandered into his bathroom before Julia could protest. He took a cup out of the linen closet and as he was filling it, chanced a glance out the door at his bed. He saw Julia watching him, and he smiled and averted his gaze when she waved to him.

"Nick, you really didn't have to do that..." she said, taking the cup from him as he returned to the bed.

"I wanted to. Besides, you needed it after the way you were flailing around."

"I was flailing?" she said, smiling and glaring at him playfully.

"Well, you did hit me in the face..."

"Oh hush." Julia put the empty cup on the bedside table, and then pulled Nick down with her as she laid back into the pillows again. He looked at her confused, until she pulled his face close and bumped her nose up against his. "You're too cute for me to actually be mad at, silly."

Nick laughed as Julia pulled him down into a kiss, feeling her smiling against his lips as they brushed against one another. They stayed that way for a long moment, exchanging slow, languid kisses and letting their hands glide gently over each others bodies. Nick found that this was so much different than their earlier kisses on the couch. Being able to have her this way was much more intimate; every one of his senses was tuned in to her body. He could feel her breath hitting his face, hear the soft sounds coming every time they kissed, could sense when she was going to run her fingers over his arm or through his hair. He opened his eyes as he felt her bring a hand up to her mouth, and saw her trying to hide a yawn behind it.

"You're tired... We should try and get back to sleep." He brought the blankets back up around them, and gathered her into his arms as she rested her head on his shoulder.

"You'll stay with me, right?" she asked, draping her arm over his stomach and settling in next to him.

"Of course I will... it's my house, after all."

"Oh, shut up."

Nick laughed as he felt Julia's body relax next to him, and he closed his eyes as he felt her breathing settle into sleep. He laid for a while trying to bring himself back to sleep, but couldn't stop his mind from racing. He opened his eyes after a few minutes, looking down at the girl beside him and feeling his whole body heat up just seeing her. Seeing the way her body curved gently against his side, he couldn't help but think that she fit perfectly against him. 

'What the hell is wrong with me?'

Nick's mind brought him back to the moment he first saw her. He had been laying on the ground, and she was looking down at him, her hand extended out and a gentle smile on her face. It was a far departure from the action she'd done to meet him in the first place- shoving the guy who'd pushed him down and standing up for him through the laughter of the rest of his classmates. It hit him then that every single moment at school after that, they had spent together. They ate lunch at the same table together, they ditched their classes and sat on the same window ledge, talking about Nick's music and Julia's dancing or whatever else they could think of.

He thought about the panic he'd felt earlier in the night, when he was waiting for her inside the club. She had come in late, and those minutes waiting for her had made his stomach drop. He had been so afraid she wouldn't show up. When she finally did come through the door, he remembered feeling his heart almost jump through his ribcage. He remembered the feeling when she had run into his arms after they'd finished their set- bypassing everyone else in the room and going directly to him- in that moment, he never wanted to let her go, he just wanted to keep her in his grasp. He remembered the way she had fixed his hair after they sat down with his friends, such a small, simple gesture but meaning everything coming from the girl.

'She's completely head over heels for you, man. Don't worry.'

John's voice echoed through Nick's mind, the assurance from on stage repeating over and over. The way his friends had encouraged him to go for it with her, even after he'd told them to shut up, was still confusing to him. He'd never been one to get into relationships in the first place. It was all foreign territory to him. He looked down at Julia again, his mind going into a jumble as he noticed the small smile on her face as she slept, and realized that John was right.

Nick yawned and shifted slightly, trying not to move too much and risk waking Julia up again. As he finally settled into a comfortable position, he felt her stir slightly next to him, and his whole body froze. He looked over and let out a breath he didn't know he was holding, relieved to see Julia still sleeping soundly next to him. He watched her for a moment, seeing that she was moving and making small sounds in her sleep again, only different from the sounds that had woken him earlier. Her grip around his waist became tighter, and he felt himself trying to recoil as her leg slipped over one of his own. Her movements stilled after that, leaving Nick laying shocked and confused, before he heard her mutter something that shocked him even more.

"Nick..." she said through her sleep, one of her hands drifting up his side and sending a shiver through his entire body. That certainly wasn't what he expected.

'She's dreaming about me again...' he thought, feeling her breathing steady out again and finally falling silent, though her slight movements didn't stop. Her hand ghosted over his stomach and came to rest on his chest, and he finally let himself relax enough to let his nerves go for the night. He pressed a kiss to her forehead, and quickly let himself slip into unconsciousness, feeling the warmth of the girl next to him and holding her tight as he finally slept.


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I admit, this chapter is really way too short, and pretty much just a bunch of fluffy filler to pad my way until Nick and I can actually bone, lol.  
> I'm sorry it's so short guys!! I'm working on about five other fics at the same time and I couldn't focus on how to make this longer!
> 
> ANYWAY! Here is chapter eight, as promised for 200 hits! I really hope you guys like it!

Nick slowly opened his eyes, the sunlight filtering though the window making it hard to focus his vision. He pulled at the cord for his blinds, hearing them clack shut while the room was put into darkness again. As he lay on his side and tried to wake himself up, he vaguely recalled the events from the night before. He remembered meeting Julia for their show at the Rum Runner, drinking with his friends and walking through the park with her afterwards. The image and feeling of the park bench, where he had kissed her for the first time, stuck out the most, and he smiled to himself as he felt the softness of her lips once more.

Even more vivid in his mind was the memory of coming back and making out on his couch, every touch of her lips and fingers still seared onto his skin. The thought of her pulling him against her at the top of the stairs, pinning her to the wall and kissing her, then remembering how he'd thought about her in his shower, while she slept in his bed a room away, sent his mind spinning. 

He remembered waking up in the middle of the night, having been jostled out of his sleep by her movements, and holding her tight after she'd been scared awake by a nightmare. He remembered the look in her eyes after he'd gotten her a glass of water, and how he'd kissed her so slowly and gently to calm her down completely. Most of all, he remembered how she'd clung to him so closely, and how her body felt draped over his as she slept.

He smiled as the flood of memories flashed through his mind, and turned over to wake Julia up. But when his head hit the opposite side of his pillow, he was greeted with an empty space. His smile faded as he quickly sat up, looking around the room and feeling his heart start racing. He spotted her shoes from the night before still by his door, and breathed a heavy sigh as he fell back into his pillows.

"I'm an idiot..." he muttered, covering his eyes with his hands as he finally woke all the way. He heard the muffled sounds of a hair dryer coming from his bathroom, and it dawned on him that she'd woken up before him and taken a shower while he was still asleep. "Shit, I'm stupid."

He felt a burst of warm, humid air fill the room, and took his hands away from his eyes in time to see Julia coming out of the bathroom wearing nothing but an oversized sweatshirt of his, along with a pair of woolen socks that came up to her knees. He leaned up on his elbows, and felt his heart leap as she turned to him and smiled.

"Hey, I didn't know you were awake..." She came over and sat at the foot of his bed, the scent of his vanilla shower gel once again assaulting his nose and calming him instantly.

"I only woke up a minute ago... I thought you'd left."

"Oh, Nick... I wouldn't leave without telling you." Julia crawled up to meet Nick at his pillow, pressing a gentle kiss to his lips before laying down next to him. "I didn't mean to make you nervous." 

"I shouldn't have gotten so freaked out..." he said, his voice shaking as he laid back against the pillows. He cursed himself mentally for letting his emotions get the better of him, but the thought went out of his head entirely when Julia's arm draped over his stomach. She grasped his hand, and laced her fingers with his as he let out a sigh. She kissed the side of his head, and he smiled as her grip tightened on his hand.

"But was the mild panic attack worth this?" Julia asked quietly.

"Absolutely." Nick said, breaking their hand hold and turning over onto his side and looking her in the eyes. "Aside from the heart attack."

"I really didn't mean to make you nervous..." she said sheepishly, leaning in close to him and bumping her nose against his. "I didn't think you'd be awake for a while yet."

"I think the sun woke me up." He gently bumped his nose back against hers, smiling at the soft laugh she let out. "Normally I keep my window shades down when I sleep, but I forgot to put them down last night."

"You were kind of distracted last night, so I don't blame you."

"It was a good distraction though." Nick said, absentmindedly running his hand over her side. He pulled back when her body jerked, and looked at her confused as she let out a tiny laugh.

"Sorry... I'm kind of ticklish."

"Well that's good to know..." he said, a wicked smirk coming to his lips as Julia's eyes widened.

"Why am I thinking I shouldn't have told you that?"

"I have no idea what you could be implying."

Nick swiftly rolled over, pinning Julia's hips beneath him and smiling as she laughed out loud, the sound setting his heart racing. He pressed his hands into her sides and started tickling her, her laughter turning to squealing as she half-heartedly attempted to swat his hands away. He grinned as he felt her legs kicking behind him, and leaned down to kiss her as he continued to tickle her. He stretched his legs out straight and pressed his full weight into her, feeling her hands still and grip his arms as he continued to kiss her.

Before Nick knew what had happened, he was on his back, with Julia straddling his hips and pinning his arms to the bed. He looked up at her to see her smiling gently down at him, her long hair falling around her face and shoulders and hitting the bare skin of his forearms. He tried to get out of her grip but with her weight pressed against him, his squirming only served to provide friction where he didn't need it so early in the morning.

"You know you're ridiculously cute, right?" she said, letting go of his arms and sitting upright, staying on top of his hips. He felt the heat rise in his face at the positions they were in, and at the statement itself.

"I'm really not..." he mumbled, running a hand through his hair and not sure where to put the other one.

"Are you crazy? You think I would let anyone else tickle me like that?"

"You wouldn't?"

"If I didn't like you and think you were cute as hell, you'd have been punched in the stomach as soon as you flipped me over." The sweet smile on her face contrasted so much with the statement that Nick couldn't help but laugh. "What?"

"I just love how you give your threats with such a polite smile... like you'd kiss me and kill me at the same time."

"I'd never kill you, Nick. But kissing, on the other hand..." His whole body tensed as she leaned down again, her slight weight pressing against him and pinning him to the mattress. "That I will gladly do."

Nick closed his eyes as he felt Julia's lips press against his once more. He held his hands in the air for a moment, before pulling himself out of his shock and letting them rest gently on her lower back. He felt her smile against his mouth as her hands moved up to his hair, gently raking her nails over his scalp and causing his entire body to shiver under the touch. She laughed lightly as she pulled away, and he looked up at her quizzically as she smiled down at him.

"You really like it when I scratch my nails on your head, don't you?" She said softly, continuing the action. He let out a sigh and closed his eyes, letting his hands move up to her shoulders and pull her down so that her forehead was resting against his.

"More than you could imagine..." Before he could finish the thought, a low sound came from between their bodies, startling them both. They both opened their eyes to look at each other before realizing that Nick's stomach had grumbled in hunger. He felt himself blushing as Julia laughed and kissed his nose. "I guess I'm hungry..."

"Me too, I'm starving... let's go make some food!"

Before Nick knew what was happening, Julia had leapt off his bed and had him by the hand, tangling him in the bed sheets as she pulled him up off the mattress and out of the bedroom towards the stairs. As he followed her down the stairs and heard her laughing, he figured the sheets could wait until after breakfast.


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So this took fucking forever. And it's not that good either. It's just fluffy filler but I figured if anyone was still reading this I'd post it anyway.

Nick laughed as Julia pulled him by the arm down the stairs and around the corner into his kitchen, the sound of her accompanying laughter making him smile. The two rounded the corner sharply, both of them sliding across the vinyl flooring and skidding to a halt against the edge of the counter. Julia landed first, with Nick landing directly behind her and pressed against her back. He grasped on to the counter, his hands on either side of her hips, and quickly realized that her body was purposely pressing back into his. He went to move away from her, but before he could, she turned to face him, bringing her arms up and around the back of his neck.

"Your floor is a lot more slippery than I thought it would be." she said, gently pulling Nick down and kissing him on the nose.

"My parents like to have it shiny so they have it waxed all the time. They say it helps 'keep up the appearance of the home' or something. I don't get it, really..."

"Well its good that they like to keep it looking nice! Better than my house, believe me... my house is a complete mess. Especially my bedroom..."

"Really messy?" he asked, shaking his nerves and wrapping his arms around her waist. He felt her pull his body close, and in return hugged her tight, leaning his head down and kissing her lightly.

"Like you wouldn't believe." she said, laughing lightly as he smiled at her. "Some of it is because I'm still unpacking from moving here, but most of it is just because I'm lazy."

"I could help you get things straightened out, if you wanted..."

"You'd do that for me?"

"Why wouldn't I?" He brushed a piece of hair away from her eyes and let his hand rest on the side of her face.

"Because it's not your problem that my bedroom is absurdly shitty." She grinned up at him and he felt himself smiling in return. "But I suppose you're going to see my bedroom anyway, so I should clean it a little beforehand."

"You'll let me in your bedroom?"

"Well you let me in yours, it's fair the I return the favor... maybe next weekend you can stay over or something."

"So long as your mum and dad are okay with it..."

"Just my mom. My dad couldn't leave his job back home, and my mom wouldn't let me move here on my own, so he's paying our rent and stuff from over there."

"As long as she's okay with it, I would love to stay with you..."

Nick's entire body tensed as Julia wrapped her arms fully around the back of his neck, hugging him tightly and kissing him full on the lips. He returned the kiss just as strong, his hands moving from grasping the counter again up to her hair. They stayed that way for a short while, holding each other close and exchanging slow kisses, Nick's weight pressing Julia's body against the counter. Before they could go further, Nick's stomach grumbled again, and Julia's head fell to his shoulder as she laughed.

"Let's get food, we have all day to do that other stuff."

"Yeah, I am pretty hungry..." Nick watched as she slipped gracefully out from between his body and the counter, and followed dutifully as he walked over to the refrigerator. "I really don't know what I'm doing in the kitchen though."

"I don't either... this should be an experience, if nothing else. HA!" He stepped back as Julia pulled her head out from the refrigerator, holding a box in her hand. "Every house has a box of baking mix somewhere! Easy pancakes!"

"What else do you need for them?" Nick peered over her shoulder as she inspected the back of the box.

"Looks like just and egg and milk. I'm assuming you have both of those too?"

"I think so..." He leaned in and looked into the refrigerator, absentmindedly placing his hand on Julia's hip as he did. He looked up at her, only to see her smiling down at him. She leaned down so that she was at eye level with him, and before he knew it, she was kissing him first on the nose, then on the lips.

"Eggs and milk, Nicky." she said, keeping her mouth close to his. He leaned in for another kiss, but pouted at her sadly when she pulled away. "There's gonna be more time for that later, my dear. But your grumbly tummy is telling me you need food."

"Grumbly tummy?" Nick looked at Julia with a curious smile as she reached past him and grabbed the carton of milk out of the shelf on the door. He pouted again at her as she kissed him on the nose before turning towards the sink.

"Yes, grumbly tummy. How your stomach grumbles, you know what I mean."

"I knew what you meant," Nick took an egg out of the carton before closing the door and joining her at the counter. "I've just never heard anyone put it quite like that before."

"Did you really expect anything less from me though?"

"No, you're right... I should expect some silly phrases from you by now."

Nick pulled a bowl and measuring cup out of the cabinet and drawer before turning and seeing Julia leaning against the counter. He placed everything down and walked slowly over to her, feeling his nervousness overtake him once again but unable to stop himself from moving. He gently placed his hands on her hips, and she smiled at him as she brought her hands to either side of his face.

"Can I have another kiss before we start cooking?" he asked, a small smile tugging at the corners of his mouth.

"I'm not stupid enough to say no to that, darling." He grinned as she pulled his face down close to hers, their lips brushing lightly as he brought his hands together behind her back. He pressed his weight against her, wanting to feel her warmth again, and tilted his head to the side as he felt her press her lips firmly on his. He sighed through his nose as they stood together for a long moment, sharing gentle kisses and letting their hands slide over each others bodies. Nick felt Julia's chest rise and fall against his, and as he let his hands move up to her shoulders, he heard that insistent rumble between them again.

"Stupid stomach..." he muttered, his lips not moving from hers as she laughed lightly.

"You're hungry..." she said as Nick pressed his mouth against hers again. "Let's get food in that stomach and we can go back to this later."

"But I don't want to stop..." He put on his best innocent face, pouting at her and hugging her tight. "I want to stay like this all day."

"Against the kitchen counter?"

"I suppose we would be more comfortable on the couch..."

"Food now. My tummy's starting to get grumbly too... then after we eat we can do more of this."

"You're right... my stomach won't be happy if I don't eat something."

"You're so cute, Nicky."

"Shut up..."

"We're never going to eat, are we?"

Nick and Julia exchanged a silent glance for a moment, before both breaking down in laughter and burying their heads in each others shoulders. They stood there just enjoying the feeling of being near each other, and in that moment Nick felt like he was on top of the world, like he never wanted to move from that one spot so long as he had Julia in his arms. He also realized at that moment how increasingly pathetic his mindset was becoming with thoughts like that.

"I have no idea how to actually make pancakes." he said, reluctantly pulling away from her.

"Well let's see if we can figure it out! I don't think it should be too hard..." Julia picked up the box and looked at the back, and Nick leaned against her shoulder as he glanced over and read the recipe along with her. "Two cups of this shit, one cup of milk, the egg, and butter for the pan so they don't stick. Simple!"

"Okay, butter and a pan. I can do that."

"Where can I find a mixing spoon, Nicky?"

"Um..." Nick looked over and saw Julia standing helplessly next to an open drawer. "The one next to the one you opened? I think."

"You really don't do anything in the kitchen, do you?" Julia pulled open the drawer on her left and grinned as she triumphantly held up a wooden cooking spoon.

"You look like you just lifted Excalibur." Nick said, laughing as she held the spoon in the air over her head. "But you're right, I don't do anything in the kitchen... either we eat at restaurants or mum cooks for us."

"You'll learn eventually. If anything we can teach each other."

"You've got more experience than me, I'm sure."

"Not much. I'm like you, my mom does all the cooking." She opened the box of baking mix and measured out two cups into the bowl, while Nick put the pan on the stovetop and turned on the heat. He took a stick of butter out of the refrigerator and looked at it for a moment, before looking back at Julia and holding it out to her.

"I'm not sure how much to use." he said, looking at her through his bedheaded bangs and grinning sheepishly.

"I don't think you need much. Probably just this end bit?" She took the butter from him and grabbed a knife out of the still opened drawer. He watched as she sliced a small piece off the stick and unwrapped it from the paper, and ducked as she tossed it across the kitchen and directly into the pan on the stove. "Two points!"

"How did you-- how?"

"Don't ask me, normally that butter would've ended up on your forehead."

Nick laughed out loud as he put the butter back in the refrigerator, and walked over to help Julia with the mix. He watched as she carefully measured out the milk, and took the spoon and bowl from her to mix it together, ignoring her protests about how she was the guest and she should be the one to cook for him. She reached over and grabbed the egg off the counter before he could take it, and cracked it flat on the counter before adding it to the bowl.

"How come you cracked it like that?"

"Like what, on the counter?" He nodded, and she took the spoon from him and began mixing. "It helps to keep little bits of shell from getting up into the egg. My mom taught me that in one of her futile attempts to teach me cooking."

"Futile?"

"Yes. If this wasn't a mix there would be flour all over your kitchen."

"Sounds like me..."

"Oh hey, the butter's melted! Let's do this shit!"

"Are you always this peppy early in the morning?" Nick asked, picking up the bowl and bringing it over to the stove. Julia took the spoon and started dosing out portions on to the pan, and it was then Nick had an idea.

"Hell no, babe. I'm normally still sleeping about now." She continued to pour out the batter until the pan was crowded, and turned to Nick while they waited for them to cook. "The only reason I'm so awake is because of the shower I- what are you doing?"

Nick was stood up on his tiptoes, reaching into the back of one of the cabinets next to them. He turned his head and smiled at her before continuing to rustle around in search of his idea. He heard her laugh behind him, and as she turned to retrieve a spatula out of the drawer, he felt exactly what he was reaching for.

"I found it!" he said happily, turning back to her fully and holding a back of chocolate chips in front of her nose.

"Oh, sweet! Here, let's add them to these before we turn them over!" She took the bag and quickly put chocolate pieces on top of each pancake, before flipping each one in sequence. "How'd you guess that chocolate chip pancakes are my favorite?"

"Really lucky guess?" He took the bag back from her and poured the remaining chips into the bowl. "I had no idea you liked them, but I liked them as a kid, so I just kind of assumed..."

"You assumed right, babe." She kissed him lightly on the nose before looking back at the pan. "Plate!!"

Nick scrambled to get a plate from the cabinet, and as he held it out it was quickly filled with the finished pancakes. She spooned some more batter on to the pan and motioned for Nick to put the plate down. He did so, and took the spatula away from her. He held it up over her head when she protested, and told her that he would finish, and for her to go relax on the couch. She immediately refused, telling him that it was her job to take care of him. 

"Hush." He held a finger up to her lips as he flipped the pancakes. "You're here as my guest. Therefore I take care of you."

"Nick, you just said you've never cooked before. If I leave you alone I'm afraid you'll burn your kitchen down."

"I will not! And you've never cooked before either!"

"Therefore I'm not leaving until I know both of us have edible food."

"It's useless for me to keep trying, isn't it?"

"Yep. Pancakes are done!"

"I don't know if we'll be able to eat all these..." Nick said, taking the finished pancakes off the pan. "Should we put the rest of the batter in the icebox?"

"We can, yeah. We made these pretty small though, so we might have room for more of these later."

Nick took the bowl and quickly put it in the refrigerator, and spotted a bottle of syrup on the bottom shelf of the door. He pulled it and the butter out and nudged the door shut with his hip, before joining Julia at the small table in the corner of the kitchen. He looked and saw that she had gotten two forks and had placed them on either side of the big plate they'd used to stack the pancakes.

"Figured we'd just share this plate instead of making more dirty dishes to clean up." she said, looking up at him with a small smile on her face. Nick nodded and pulled the chair out for her, returning the smile as she leaned up and kissed him on the nose before sitting. "Pull your chair over next to me, then we can just have the plate right here."

Nick carefully pulled his chair over next to Julia, and as he sat down, she held out her fork to him, a piece of pancake hanging off the end waiting for him. He opened his mouth and allowed her to feed him, and he was impressed that not only were they edible, but they were actually good. Julia confirmed his thought with a gleeful squeak as Nick fed her in return, and he felt his his soar as she hugged and kissed him in a celebratory gesture. They sat feeding each other slowly, Nick with his arm around Julia's shoulders and her leaning against his side. As they emptied the plate in front of them, Nick thought to himself that there was no way he'd rather spend a Saturday morning than the way he was at that moment.


	10. Chapter 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter has actually been finished for a few days now. I've been struggling with whether or not I wanted to post it. I lost the person whose support for this story I had from the beginning, and that's really affected my want to work on it.
> 
> But if I don't finish it... it'll just be another project that I abandoned. So I don't know what to do.
> 
> Let me know if you like this, guys. Please. And let me know if you want to see more of this.

"Could I ask you a question, Nicky?"

Nick and Julia were back on the couch in the family room, after eating and cleaning their dishes. Nick was laying back against the pillows, with Julia resting in his lap. His legs were on either side of her hips, and she was leaning with her back against his chest, his arms wrapped around her stomach and holding her tight against his body. They had a blanket thrown over their legs, and they had stayed there in relative sleepy silence for a while, until Julia posed her question.

"I can try and answer."

"How come you've got your hair dyed the way it is?"

"How'd you know I dyed my hair?"

"Well most people don't naturally have pink in their hair." she said, turning her head and kissing him under the chin. "Plus I can feel it from the bleach too."

"I forgot about the pink..." Nick blushed, and he heard Julia giggling in front of him. 

"Well you don't see your own hair unless you look in the mirror, and even then, how much do you really pay attention."

"That's true..."

"I used to have my hair dyed blonde." she said, adjusting herself and snuggling against his chest. "I had to let it grow out though. The bleaching got to be too much."

"Is this your natural hair color then?" Nick brought his hand up and ruffled the hair on top of her head, giggling himself when she flailed and swatted him away.

"Now that you've messed it up, yes, this is my real hair color." She reached back and fluffed his hair in return, and he laughed out loud as he caught her hand and held it up over their heads.

"It would seem I've got you at an advantage in my favor." he said, letting his free hand move to her side and and start tickling her for the second time that morning. She let out a shriek of his name, and tried with all her energy to escape, but he held his grip firm on her wrist. The sound of her laughter made him smile, and he tried as hard as he could to keep her still as she flailed her legs and tangled herself in the blanket. After a few moments of tickling, Nick wrapped his arms around Julia's stomach and hugged her tight against his chest. "I've still got you."

"Indeed you do, Nicholas..." She wiggled in his grip until she was able to turn over, looking him in the eyes and threading her fingers through his hair. "But you still didn't answer my question, darling."

"What was the question again?"

"How come you dye your hair the way you do?"

"I guess..." He had to stop and think, and he realized then that he really didn't have a specific answer. "I don't really have a reason. I like to play up androgyny, I suppose."

"So like David Bowie?"

"Like David Bowie, yeah... it shows up in how I dress too."

"And the way you do your makeup."

"It doesn't bother you, does it?" Nick immediately felt his insecurity creeping back. He felt her scratch her fingernails across his scalp, and relaxed against the touch despite his nerves. "The makeup or anything?"

"Of course not, Nicky." Julia leaned up and kissed him on the nose, and he tilted his head up so that he could kiss her on the lips. "I like the makeup and hair you do."

"Really?"

"Yeah... it was one of the first things I noticed about you, when you looked up at me from the floor. The way your eyeliner made your eyes look so green."

"I wasn't the only one then..." he said under his breath. Julia looked at him curiously, and he simply brought his hands up to either side of her face, pulling her close and kissing her on the nose. "The second I looked up and saw you I couldn't believe how pretty your eyes are. And the fact that you'd shoved that guy against the lockers for me..."

"I'm so glad I did that. That guy's an asshole for doing that to you. And I met you because of it. So everything was meant to happen."

"How existential of you."

"I'm being romantic, you nerd." Nick laughed as Julia reached up and thumped him on the nose with her finger. "So what else do you want to do today? Anything?"

"Do you want to see around town? I said I would show you around... only if you want to though."

"I would like that a lot... but I think I need pants first."

"I think I have something that'll fit you."

"Really? You'll share your good clothes with me, not just the old sleep ones?"

"Of course. Let's find you some pants."


	11. Chapter 11

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So.
> 
> Over two years later and I've finally updated this fic.
> 
> This has been a very, very hard story for me to continue working on. Writing has not come easily to me for a number of reasons, and this fic has some... painful memories attached to it. 
> 
> But I want to continue. Because I don't want to give up. I don't want to let those painful memories have the chance to win.
> 
> So here we go.
> 
> Please, feedback is always appreciated.

"What do your parents do, Nick?"

Julia was sat on the edge of Nick's bed, watching as he rummaged through his closet for some clothes that would fit her. The question took him by surprise; she hadn't said anything since he'd disappeared into the closet. Nick poked his head out to look at her, a small smile coming to his face as he noticed her looking through another one of his photo albums. 

"They own a toy shop in town. It's not far from the park we walked through last night."

"A toy store? Are you serious?" She jumped up off the bed, her voice bubbling with excitement at his statement. "That's so fucking cool!"

"You really think so?"

"Yes! I love toys. If I had the choice my bedroom would be filled with stuffed animals." 

"They have stuffed animals there."

"See, now you shouldn't have told me that." Julia joined him in the closet, and Nick grinned as she walked up behind him and wrapped her arms around his waist. "Now I want to go raid the stuffies."

"Stuffies?"

"Stuffies, yes. Stuffed animals. I have weird names for things."

"No, it's cute." Nick turned in her arms, looking down and seeing that her face had flushed a light pink. "Is that a thing in New Jersey, calling them stuffies?"

"No, I think it's just me... or me and my friend Barbara, anyway."

"That's something you haven't done, told me about your friends from home."

"That's because they're a bunch of idiots." Nick laughed as Julia untangled herself from his arms, and he poked his head out the door again to watch as she returned to his bed. He realized, as she laid back against his pillows again, that they probably wouldn't be going anywhere soon. He found that he didn't really care either, and he gave up looking for pants as he joined her on the bed. "You really want to know about my friends?"

"Of course."

"Well... my one friend Gavin is actually from England. I don't remember from where though."

"Somewhere around London?"

"I think so! I'll have to ask him though, I know that's he's told me. Something-shire. My other friend Barbara is from Canada!"

"Are all your friends from other countries?"

"No, Michael and Lindsay are actually from New Jersey, they're dating... Ryan is from Georgia, he just relocated up to Jersey. And Jack and Geoff are from Texas. They followed each other up there because Jack got a job at a radio station."

"Did they all go to school with you?"

"Michael and Lindsay did. Barb came right before I left. Geoff and Jack and Ryan are all actually out of school... and Gavin moved over there and just kind of started bunking with Geoff." Nick wrapped his arms around Julia's waist as he laid back against the pillows with her, grinning as she let out a squeaky giggle. "So I'm guessing you gave up on finding me pants?"

"It's much more fun laying here with you."

"I agree. So I told you about my friends, you tell me about the rest of the guys. How'd you all find each other?"

"John and I have known each other for years. Since we were about ten, actually."

"Oh wow, so he really is your best friend then."

"You could say that, yeah. He and I saw a concert together and that's what put the idea in our heads to start a band."

"Well like I said, your music is fucking amazing." She propped herself up on her elbow, and Nick reached up to brush a piece of hair away from her eyes as he looked to her. "You guys have what it takes to make it. I know you do."

"I'm glad you believe in us..." He said softly, his hand resting on the side of her face. "Most people laugh us off when we tell them about it."

"Well then screw them! They didn't see that crowd of people dancing to your music last night. They haven't heard what I've heard. Everyone is going to love you and I'll beat the shit out of anyone who doesn't."

"I don't think you have to go that far... but I appreciate the effort." He couldn't help but laugh as she reached up and ruffled his hair, and he returned the action, smiling as she squeaked. "I hope I can meet your friends one day... they sound like a fun group."

"Maybe you can come with me next time I go back home!" She sat up and looked at him, an excited grin now on her face. "My mom wanted to try and go back home some time in the winter... probably around February. My friends and I always have a get together for the Super Bowl so it'll probably be around then!"

"The Super Bowl?" He asked, looking down to her curiously.

"Yeah, football! Football football, not soccer football..." She looked back into his eyes and his breath faltered for a moment. "I'm guessing you don't really watch sports, huh?"

"How did you guess?" He couldn't help but grin as she laughed out loud, hugging her tight as they got comfortable on the bed once again. "You'll have to explain it to me when I come with you..."

"So that's a yes to coming back to Jersey with me?" 

"Absolutely, love. I want to meet your friends and learn football football with you."

"YAY!!" She leaned up and kissed him straight on the lips, his eyes going wide at the sudden ambush. "They'll be so excited to meet you!"

"They won't take offense that I know nothing about the Super Bowl?"

"No, because half of them don't know anything about it either." 

Nick laughed as Julia snuggled into his chest, not wanting to think about anything else but the moment they were in right then. He kissed her on top of the head, his arms staying tight around her as they laid in each other's company. 

"Maybe I won't feel so out of place after all."


End file.
